Orica to spend $167m in Botany clean-up

Page Tools

Chemicals company Orica Ltd said today it will spend $167
million cleaning up contaminated ground water under its industrial
site at Botany in Sydney's east.

The company said the chlorinated hydrocarbon (CHC) contamination
occurred "when environmental standards were less than they are
today" and was "not all necessarily associated with Orica's
historic operations".

It said tests of 23 residential groundwater bores in November
found "low levels" of CHC contamination.

Four of the bores contained CHCs, including one outside
Australian drinking water guidelines.

"Based on a human health risk assessment ... detection levels
are believed not to present a risk to human health for non-drinking
uses of groundwater," the company said in a statement.

Orica had previously committed to spending $50 million to clean
up the site, after an order by the Enrivonmental Protection
Agency.

It was unclear whether the $167 million, announced today, was in
addition to the previous cost.